Tool for marking animals&#39; ears for identification



Oct. 2, 1951 CQOKE ETAL 2,570,048

TOOL. FOR MARKING ANIMALS EARS FOR IDENTIFICATION Filed Feb. 16, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet l I I zm/Elvrom {7 ARTHUR H. 000m? ROY H- MUMFURD A. H. COOKE ETAL Oct. 2, 1951 TOOL FOR MARKING ANIMALS EARS FOR IDENTIFICATION Filed Feb. 16, 1948' 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 .l/V ARTHUR ROY Oct. 2, 1951 A. H. COOKE ErAL TOOL FOR MARKING ANIMALS EARS FOR IDENTIFICATION 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 16, 1948 5 H. Mumford W, Jinn/f A/farney Patented Oct. 2, 1951 TOOL FOR MARKING ANIMALS EARS FOR IDENTIFICATION Arthur Harold Cooke, Brentry, near Bristol, and Roy Horace Mumford, Bushey, England, as-

signors to Aviation Developments Limited London, England, a British company Application February 16, 1948, Serial No. 8,614 In Great Britain May 3, 1946 Section l, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires May 3, 1966 The invention relates to an improved method of labeling the ears of animals for identification purposes and to an improved tool for carrying out the method.

Hitherto, the marking of animals has been effooted either by mutilation of the ear, with com sequent pain or loss of blood, or by tattooing which is often ineffective in the case of dark coloured pigs or cattle. Furthermore the known operations of marking are lengthy and laborious.

One object of the invention is to ensure that the operation of applying the label may be performed quickly without subjecting the animal to unnecessary suffering or loss or blood. Another is to ensure that the label, when applied, will not be easily lost or destroyed.

According to the invention the tool for marking or labeling an animals ear, comprises a pair of co-operating jaws, one of which carries an upsetting pinand labeling Washer, and the other of which carries a punch, and yieldably mounted around the punch, a holder for both a hollow rivet and another labeling washer.

A preferred form of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the improved tool just referred to.

Fig. 2 is a sectional front elevation of the jaws of the tool in open position and showing a rivet and two washers held in the jaws,

Fig. 3 is a part sectional view of the tool in closed position after a rivet has been upset,

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of one jaw holding a concave labeling washer,

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line AA of Fig. 4,

Fig. 6 is a sectional front elevation of the tool showing a jaw holding a flat labeling washer,

Fig. 7 is a front elevation of a holder for a hollow rivet and a washer,

Fig. 8 is a sectional view on B--B of Fig. 7,

Fig. 9 is a front elevation of a modified holder for a hollow rivet, and a labeling washer.

Fig. 10 is a sectional view on C-C of Fig. 9,

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the elements of one label before assembly, one labeling washer being of a concave shape,

Fig. 12 is a similar view to Fig. 11, except that the labeling washers are flat,

Fig. 13 is a perspective view, partly in section, of a portion of animals ear labeled with a concave washer,

Fig. 14 is a similar view to Fig. 13 showing the animals ear labeled with a flat washer, and

6 Claims. (Cl. 128-331) Fig. 15 is a perspective view showing the position of the washer on animals ear.

Referring now to the drawings, a tool for marking or labeling an animals ear consists of two parallel acting jaws l and 2 which at their lower ends are formed with slots 3 operatively connected with a pair of pliers 4 by pins 5.

The jaw I is formed with a part-cicrular recess 6 and is furnished with an upsetting pin 1 which is located centrally in the recess. The other jaw 2 is provided with a punch 8, the nose of which is formed as a locating pin 8a, which punch constitutes a bearing for a tubular rivet l'lb (Fig. 11). The punch is concentric with the upsetting pin 1.

A parallel support or holder 9 is arranged to slide reciprocally longitudinally over the punch 8. This holder 9 is formed with two threaded holes I?! at the side facing the punch-carrying jaw 2 in which holes are screwed the threaded ends of a pair of guide pins H which extend slidably through bores 12 formed in the jaw. The heads I3 of the guide pins l I rest in counter bored ends 14 of the holes 12 situated on the remote side of the jaw 2 and thus prevent the parallel holder 9 from becoming disengaged from its jaw 2..

Mounted round each pin II is a helical compression spring l5 the one end of which abuts against the jaw 2 which is counterbored to receive it, and the other end against the holder 9, so that they tend to keep the holder apart from the jaw 2.

The holder 9 is formed at the side facing the upsetting pin 1, with a part-circular recess [6 to a labeling washer IT and has a bore or aperture [8 through the centre of the recess I6, so as to enable the holder to ride on the punch 8.

Tangentially to the periphery of the circular recesses 6 and IS, the jaw l and the holder 9 are each formed with a transverse slot l9 for accommodation of a leaf spring 20 which bears against the circumferential edge of labeling washers H and Ila inserted in the recesses 6 and l 6 respectively, and thus prevents them from falling out. The upsetting pin 1 and the punch 8 are secured to their respective jaws I and 2 by means of split pins 23 passing through transverse bores formed in the upsetting in 1 and the punch 8 respectively.

The jaws l and 2 are also formed with stops 24 facing each other and serving to limit the parallel stroke of the jaws towards each other.

The markings or labeling washers l1 and 11a may be formed With co-axial bores for accommodation of a snap head rivet. One washer may be tapered and the other countersunk, so that when the washers I! and Ha are riveted there are no protruding parts.

The washers may be concave or flat. The former are preferably used for labeling the ears of cattle, and the latter for labeling pigs ears.

The labeling operation may be performed, in all cases, as follows:

A centrally perforated asher 11 is threaded on a tubular rivet I11) and both are accommodated in the circular recess lb of the parallel holder 9, the rivet I 11) being supported by the locating pin 8a, after which another perforated washer Ila is placed into the recess 9 formed in the upsetting pin-carrying jaw l. The animals ear H is then interposed between the 4 thickness. Each of the parallel holder 9, and the jaw I, may be made interchangeable in order to allow various sizes of. washers to be used.

What we.-claim is:

1. A tool for labeling an animals ear comprising a pair of cooperating jaws, an upsetting pin carried by one of said jaws, a punch rigidly mounted on the other of said jaws, and a holder two perforated washers l! and Ha in the tool, 7

the two handles of the pliers 4 are compressed with one hand to force the rivet first through the animals ear I10, then through the washer Ila, to be upset by the pin 1 and so look the two washers I1 and Ha onto the ear, pinching of the ear being effectively prevented by the stops 24 on thejaws I; 2. n

In order to enable the tail end of the rivet I'lb to expand a space 25 (Fig. 1) is provided between the upsetting pin 1 and the recess 9 on the jaw l. The manipulation of the tool can be effected either by positioning the jaw 2 and the parallel holder '9- underneath the animals ear, so that the jaw I would be situated above the ear He, or by positioning the jaw I underneath and the jaw'2 with the holder 9 above the animals car He. K

In the latter case it will be obvious that the rivet I") may possibly fall OK the instrument and means to prevent this are illustrated in Figures 9 and 10. The holder 9 is formed with three bores 25a radially disposed to the longitudinal axis of the punch 8. V

In each of the bores 25a are housed a ball 26 and a compression spring 21 secured in position by a plug or a rivet 28, whilst the inner end of the bore 25a is reduced in diameter, so that the ball 26 is prevented from escaping, when it is urged by the compression spring 21 against the tubular rivet III). In this manner the rivet is lightly held in its correct position, i. e. concentric with the upsetting pin 1.

The tool may be foot or power-operated instead of manually. The stops 24 may be adjustable in order to allow for variation of the ears for a labeling washer mounted around said punch and mounted on said punch-carrying jaw for yielding movement longitudinally of said punch.

2. A tool according to claim 1 wherein the holder has an aperture formed therein to allow the punch to move therethrough and has a recess formed around said aperture to hold said labeling washer.

3. A tool according to claim 2 wherein said punch has formed on the end thereof a locating pin to position a hollow rivet within said aperture.

4. A tool according-to claim 3 wherein said holder has mounted therein means to resiliently bear against said rivet to hold said rivet in position within said aperture. 7

v5. A tool according. to claim 1 wherein said holder is yieldably mounted by means of two parallel guide pins mounted on said holder and extending slideably through bores in the punch carrying jaw, and a helical spring surrounding each of said guide pins between said holder and said punch-carrying jaw.

6..A tool according to claim 1 wherein said pin-carrying jaw and said holder e'ach have formed therein a recess for a labeling washer, and a slot tangential to said recess, and including a leaf spring positioned in said slot to bear against the periphery of a labeling washer to hold said washer in said recess.

ARTHUR H.,COOKE. ROY HORACE MUMFORD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

